If recent history is a reliable guide, the Duke men's lacrosse
team is going to be just fine. The Blue Devils are fast and
skilled. They still can score in bunches with a transition game
that brings to mind Syracuse or Virginia. They always improve over
the course of the season. And Duke, the 2010 national champions,
has earned a spot at the NCAA tournament's final four for five
consecutive years.

But 15th-ranked Duke (4-3) needs fixing, and sixth-year coach
John Danowski is the first to admit it. Listen to Danowski in the
minutes following Duke's 13-8 shellacking on Saturday, at the hands
of a Loyola team that looks increasingly like the real deal.

"We had a great week of practice, but it just doesn't seem to
translate [to game day] right now," Danowski said. "We struggle
offensively. We don't have a guy that can make a play and take the
pressure off [other] guys. Defensively, we're a step slow, a step
behind.

"We're pretty young, but that's not an excuse for some of the
mistakes we're continuing to make week after week. We have great
kids and terrific athletes. But we need a little more ballplayer.
That's where we're struggling – having a feel. But these guys
are our guys."

In other words, Danowski has no major lineup changes planned, as
he sorts through the Blue Devils' shortcomings, which continue to
reveal themselves.

Look at Monday night's 11-8 victory over visiting Harvard. After
building a commanding, 11-4 lead through three quarters, Duke went
south. It committed 10 turnovers and three fouls, allowed a pair of
extra-man goals and got shut out, 4-0.

In the Loyola loss, a game the Greyhounds led, 13-5, early in
the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils got beat to numerous, critical
ground balls, could not cover the two-headed attack monster of Mike
Sawyer-Eric Lusby. Duke was a wreck offensively, especially in the
six-on-six and extra-man games.

None of the Blue Devils' dodgers made you think of former Duke
star playmakers such as Matt Danowski or Ned Crotty. Not even
sophomore attackman Jordan Wolf – the team's best go-to
candidate. Wolf moves as if he's still bothered by the hip injury
he incurred at Notre Dame nearly four weeks ago and has continued
to play through.

You watch Duke, and you see talent. You see Wolf (12 goals,
eight assists), Josh Dionne (15 goals) and Christian Walsh –
who have combined for 51 of the team's 102 points on attack. You
see Robert Rotanz, Justin Turri and Jake Tripucka (22 goals
combined) on the first midfield, and David Lawson leading a decent
second line.

You see speedy defenders such as LSM C.J. Costabile and close
defenseman Chris Hipps sparking the fast break. You see the Blue
Devils winning nearly 60 percent of their face-off attempts, taking
40 shots per game and averaging 10.43 goals.

Mostly, you see a team of obvious pedigree strangely searching
for confidence and consistency, as it mucks up the game at times.
You see a team in search of its identity. Who exactly are the Blue
Devils of 2012?

"That is a great question," Danowski said. "That's a question
we're going to continue to ask ourselves and figure out. Every year
is a new year, and every team has its own personality."

It's only mid-March, but Duke needs to find itself soon. The
Blue Devils could start by plugging some leaks that have been
exposed during its 0-3 stand against the top 10. The Blue Devils
are a putrid, 4-for-27 (.148) in extra-man situations, while their
man-down unit has absorbed 16 goals on 50 percent shooting, thanks
in part to an average of five penalties per game.

Duke has assisted on just 29 of its 73 goals. It needs to
tighten up at the defensive midfield positions. It needs to get
settled in the cage, where fifth-year senior Mike Rock, junior Dan
Wigrizer and freshman Kyle Turri each have logged more than 100
minutes. Rock replaced an ineffective Wigrizer late in the first
half at Loyola, and is coming off a 12-save effort against
Harvard.

It's not panic time yet in Durham, and Danowski is not the
panicking kind. Remember, two years ago, the Blue Devils were 2-3.
All they did, with Crotty and Max Quinzani providing a major kick
on offense, was string together 14 wins in their next 15 games and
win it all.

But this edition of Duke is still learning its personality and
finding its way, as the regular season ramps up with Friday's visit
by archrival North Carolina. The Blue Devils aren't starving quite
yet. But make no mistake. They are itching badly for a big-time
win.